Chic Spotlight: Carol’s Inspirations

Cincy Chic: What is Carol’s Inspirations?
Libby Karman, Owner of Carol’s Inspirations: Carol’s Inspirations is a family-owned small business. We’re inspired by our own most-loved sayings. We created a timeless way to honor family memories and meaningful phrases with custom laser-engraved plaques.

Cincy Chic: What’s the inspiration behind it?
Karman: My grandmother was Carol Karman, who the company is named after. She successfully fought cancer for over 20 years. During this time, she found strength and hope from inspirational phrases printed on simple magnets. This simple and special way to find strength and hope was the spark for Carol’s Inspirations. While my grandmother used these magnets for inspiration for her battle with cancer, we hope that our wood engravings offer the same hope for whatever you are facing or celebrating.

Cincy Chic: Can you share your story as a recent grad turned business owner?
Karman: My team and I started the groundwork for this company as I started my senior year at Ohio State. It was definitely a crazy year finishing my degree, trying to get my new business off the ground and also planning a wedding! Luckily, we have a very strong team and partners that we can lean on, so we were able to get it up and running within a couple of months. Having majored in strategic communication, I definitely pull a lot from what I have learned from my classes and applied it to Carol’s Inspirations such as how to make media lists, press releases and even finding partners within the Columbus community through the clubs I was involved in. This business is my passion, so even though there was a lot on my plate, I was up for the challenge.

Cincy Chic: What do you recommend for Father’s Day gift ideas from your store?
Karman: Get custom! Everyone has a special picture of the family or a “dad quote” that is always said around the house, so why not put those on a plaque? Our ready-made quotes do offer a wide selection, but in my opinion, there is nothing better than getting a gift that was made specially for you.

Cincy Chic: Where can readers go to purchase gifts from Carol’s Inspirations?
Karman: We’re an Ohio-based American-made, e-commerce business. You can find us online at carolsinspirations.com. There are so many options for customizing, and we offer up lots of inspiration from past projects. We hope you’ll check it out and find something special for a loved one and yourself!

Cincy Chic: Where can readers go to learn more and follow along?
Karman: You can go to https://carolsinspirations.com/ to shop our plaque and read more about us. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see our newest creation, ideas for your own plaque, and more!